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Scotch Tape: 5 Things You Didn’t Know
On this date in 1930, the 3M company introduced Scotch Tape. Here are some things you may not have known about the adhesive tapes. Until 2002, 3M stood for Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing. The company was founded in 1902 and its first profitable product was sandpaper. In 1925, the company introduced masking tape. According to…
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Pro Football Hall of Fame: Five Things You Didn’t Know
On this date in 1963, the Pro Football Hall of Fame opened in Canton, Ohio. Here are some things you may not have known about it. Canton was chosen as the site of the Hall of Fame because the predecessor of the NFL, the American Professional Football Association, was founded there in 1920. The city…
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Grocery Stores: Everything In One Place
On this date in 1916, Piggly Wiggly, the first self-service grocery store in the United States, opened its doors in Memphis, Tennessee. Here are a few things you may not have known about the history of grocery stores. Before 1916, customers would give a list of items to a clerk behind a counter, who would…
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Labor Day: Celebrating Workers Since 1894
Put away your white clothes and seersucker, today is Labor Day in the United States and Canada. Here are some things you may not have known about the holiday. In the U.S. the holiday was created to honor the American labor movement and workers’ contributions to the country. The originator of the idea is disputed,…
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Theodore Roosevelt and the Big Stick
On this date in 1901, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt used the phrase “Speak softly and carry a big stick” for the first time in public. Here are some things you may not have known about Roosevelt and “big stick diplomacy.” The philosophy behind the idea is to negotiate peacefully, but make it known that you’re…
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St. Petersburg: Russia’s Gateway to the West
On this date in 1914, the city of St. Petersburg, Russia was renamed Petrograd. Here are some things you may not have known about St. Petersburg and its frequently changing name. The city was founded in 1703 by Czar Peter the Great at the mouth of the Neva River on the Gulf of Finland. He…
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Death of Diana, Princess of Wales
On this date in 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales was killed in a car crash in Paris. Here are some things you may not have known about the events of that night. Diana had spent the previous nine days with her companion Dodi Fayed on Fayed’s father’s yacht in the Mediterranean. His Father, Mohamed Al-Fayed,…
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Gene Wilder: Behind the Scenes of “Blazing Saddles”
On Monday, actor Gene Wilder died at the age of 83 of complications from Alzheimer’s Disease. Here are a few things you may not have known about one of his most memorable movies, “Blazing Saddles.” Wilder played Jim, a gunfighter who was known as The Waco Kid. Jim has become an alcoholic after years of…
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Goodyear: Where the Rubber Hits the Road
On this date in 1898, the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company was founded. Here are some things you may not have known about Goodyear. The company was not founded by Charles Goodyear, who was credited with inventing vulcanized rubber. The company was founded almost four decades after Goodyear died. It was named after him by…
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Kindergarten: A Learning Experience
On this date in 1876, the school board of St. Louis, Missouri, authorized the first kindergarten at a public school in the United States. Here are some things you may not have known about kindergarten. You probably solved this one on your own, but kindergarten is German for children’s garden. It was originally intended to…